3 takeaways from the Blackhawks' thrilling 5-4 victory over Panthers, including why who scored matters

It was very reminiscent of the first five games of the season when the Blackhawks went to overtime five times and it seemed like anything could happen — and did happen — at any time.

We’ll find out Tuesday if the energy from Saturday’s 5-4 overtime victory against the Panthers can carry into the Hawks’ game against the Golden Knights, who pounded the first-place Sharks 6-0 and are starting to hit their groove.

Here are 3 takeaways from Saturday night’s game.

1. 5 different Hawks scored goals.

The comeback was awe inspiring and the two points were desperately needed, but the most important thing about the win was that five different Hawks scored.

This is not an insignificant development. The Hawks have had a terrible time trying to get production from beyond their best players so if this can open the floodgates — or really any kind of gate — it can have a material difference on the rest of the season.

Also, in a fun statistic, Fortin had six seconds of short-handed ice time the whole game and still managed to score a goal.

Fortin played only 7 minutes, 23 seconds the whole game but had three shots on goal, one block and was simply noticeable. That’s a player who takes seriously his commitment to making the best of what opportunities are presented to him.

2. The Hawks have to play desperate every period of every game.

After the game, coach Jeremy Colliton described his players as being “as desperate as I’ve seen us” during the third period. That feeling better carry over to the next month because they’re going to need it.

Even after scratching the Capitals and Lighting off the schedule, the Hawks have a brutal month ahead. They play the Golden Knights twice, the Predators twice, the Avalanche twice and the Jets three times — twice in Winnipeg.

No, the Hawks can’t take off whole periods anymore and expect to win games. They really are going to have to play every shift as if it’s the difference between getting into the playoffs or not. That’s your only choice when you have dug yourself into a 9-10-5 hole.

3. There are two moments the Hawks have to remember.

A) After the Hawks fell behind 3-2 in the second period they received their first power play of the game. They were able to get into the Panthers’ zone and started to work the puck around.

At some point early on, a Panthers player lost his stick and it effectively became a two-man advantage. The puck never left the zone but the Hawks got off only one shot and failed to score.

That was rough, especially when on the Panthers’ first rush after the penalty was over they scored when Frank Vatrano batted a pass out of midair and past Ward to restore their two-goal lead.

Photos from the Blackhawks' 5-4 overtime win against the Panthers on Saturday night, Nov. 24, 2018 at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla.

B) The Panthers went up 2-0 in the first period on a play that should never happen. Colton Sceviour carried the puck into the Hawks’ zone on the left side and Henri Jokiharju, Gustav Forsling and John Hayden all moved in on him.

That left Jared McCann wide open in the middle of the slot to accept a pass and have plenty of time to deke goalie Cam Ward.

That kind of thing was happening early on during Colliton’s tenure but they’ve been less frequent. The problem has been rearing its head again recently and it needs to be nipped in the bud.

Here is a recap of the Blackhawks’ 5-4 OT win from BB&T Center:

Even though the Blackhawks have made a habit recently of putting together lousy first periods, it was still a shock to see the latest one when it arrived.

This wasn’t the Stanley Cup champion Capitals or powerful Lightning that outshot, outhustled and outscored them. This was the woeful Panthers, one of four teams with fewer points entering the game than the slightly less woeful Hawks.

But in the end it hardly mattered who the opponent was as the Hawks scratched and clawed their way back for a thrilling and much-needed 5-4 victory Saturday night at the BB&T Center. Alex DeBrincat tied the game with 1.8 seconds remaining to send it to overtime and Erik Gustafsson scored the game winner midway through the extra session.

The Hawks finished their East Coast swing 1-2 and snapped their road losing streak at eight.

“The third period was as desperate as I’ve seen us and it was good to see,” coach Jeremy Colliton said. “It was needed. Clearly, we have to find a way to start that way and play every shift like it’s life or death. But it was good to see the response in the third and proud of the guys.”

The Hawks outshot the Panthers 18-4 in the third period and had all four shots on goal in the OT. This was in stark contrast to the first when the Panthers outshot the Hawks 16-8 and ended it with a 2-0 lead.

“We can’t fall down in the first period,” DeBrincat said. “If we play the way we did in the second and third, I think there’s no way we lose that game, really. We have to play better in the first and maybe put up a few goals. We have a good team. We can score goals. It’s just being prepared to play.”

It took the Hawks less than six minutes to tie it up in the second. David Kampf cut the lead in half 49 seconds in on a beautiful drive to the net. A few minutes later Brandon Saad fed a pass in front of the net to Patrick Kane, who deflected it into the top of the net to tie the game briefly. The Panthers went back in front 4-2 before the period was over.

Alexandre Fortin scored a shorthanded goal with 10:08 remaining — the Hawks’ second of the season — to make it 4-3. Saad was certain he had the equalizer with 5:43 remaining and raised his arms in celebration but the puck had hit off the crossbar.

But that only delayed a comeback the Hawks believe can serve as a springboard to better things.

“It was a great feeling coming in after the game,” Gustafsson said. “We have to take this with us the rest of the season.”

The Hawks are host to the Golden Knights on Tuesday night at the United Center in what will be their next chance to play a complete game.

“We need to treat every situation with the respect it deserves,” Colliton said. “Every shift, every five seconds is important and we’re good enough when we play that way. When we don’t, this is the NHL. They’re going to punish you.”